Drag harness improvements

ABSTRACT

A drag harness comprises two arm loops, each of which has a fixed length and is adapted to receive a separate arm of a wearer, and a gripping loop having a fixed length, joined to the arm loops. Rather than one gripping loop, a pair of gripping loops, each having a fixed length, can be advantageously used. The arm loops are made from a flexible, tubular, flame-resistant, non-abrading material, such as polyamide fibers, which are woven into flexible tubes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/772,560, which was filed on Feb. 5, 2004, which waspublished as United States Patent Application Publication No. US2005/0173188 A1 on Aug. 11, 2005, and the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains to a drag harness of a type used by a rescuer,such as a firefighter, to drag a wearer lying in a supine position, froma perilous situation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,671, No. 4,854,418, and No.6,205,584 B1, and in United States Patent Application Publication No. US2005/0173188 A1, supra, and as known heretofore, drag harnesses of thetype noted above have arm loops made from strapping or webbing, whichtends excessively to abrade adjacent cloth, such as cloth linings ofprotective coats worn over such harnesses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides in a drag harness comprising two arm loops, eachof which is adapted to receive a separate arm of a wearer, and grippingmeans joined to the arm loops, whereby a rescuer grasping the grippingmeans can drag the wearer, via the drag harness, if the wearer is lyingin a supine position, an improvement wherein the arm loops are made froma flexible, tubular, non-abrading material, preferably a flame-resistantmaterial. Preferably, the arms loops are made from flexible,non-abrading, flame-resistant fibers, such as polyamide fibers, whichare woven into flexible tubes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a drag harness constituting a firstembodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of a dragharness constituting a second embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a drag harness 10 embodies the first aspect ofthis invention. Except as illustrated and described herein, the dragharness is similar to the drag harness illustrated and described inUnited States Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0173188 A1,supra, and is utilized similarly.

The drag harness 10 comprising two arm loops 12, each of which has afixed length and is adapted to receive a separate arm of a wearer, andgripping means joined to the arm loops 12, whereby a rescuer graspingthe gripping means can drag the wearer, via the drag harness 10, if thewearer is lying in a supine position. The gripping means comprises asingle gripping loop 14, which is made from strapping or webbing andwhich has a fixed length.

As contemplated by this invention, the arm loops 12 are made from aflexible, tubular, flame-resistant, non-abrading material, such asKevlar™ polyamide fibers, which are woven into flexible tubes. Kevlar™is a trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington,Del., for fibers consisting of long molecular chains produced frompoly-paraphenylene terephthalamide. Herein, non-abrading means having aminimal tendency to abrade adjacent cloth, such as a cloth liner of aprotective coat worn over the arm loops 12 of the drag harness 10.Suitable tubes for making the arm loops 12 are available commerciallyfrom Offray Specialty Narrow Fabrics, Inc. Of Chester, N.J.

As illustrated, the arm loops 12 are provided by the non-abradingmaterial in a single length, which is deployed across itself at twocrossings 16 and which is attached to itself at the crossings 16, bystitching and lashing, so as to define the arm loops 12 and so as toprovide that each arm loop 12 has a fixed length. Each end 18 of thesingle length of the non-abrading material is attached, by stitching andlashing, to one end 20 of the single loop 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a drag harness 30 constitutes a secondembodiment of this invention. Except as illustrated and describedherein, the drag harness is similar to the drag harness 10 and to thedrag harness illustrated and described in United States PatentApplication Publication No. US 2005/0173188 A1, supra, and is utilizedsimilarly.

The drag harness 30 comprises two arm loops 32, which are similar to thearm loops 12 of the drag harness 10 and which, as illustrated, are madefrom a single length of the non-abrading material used to make the armlops 12, and a pair of gripping loops 34, which are made from a singlelength of strapping or webbing. Each end 36 of the single length of thenon-abrading material used for the arm loops 32 is attached, bystitching and lashing, to one end 38 of the single length of strappingor webbing used for the pair of gripping loops 34 and to an intermediateportion 40 of the single length of strapping or webbing used for thepair of gripping loops 34, so as to define the pair of gripping loops 34and so as to provide for each gripping loop 34 to have a fixed length.

Thus, a rescuer can grasp a separate one of the gripping loops 34 witheach hand or with each arm or two rescuers can work together, eachgrasping a separate one of the gripping loops 34 with one hand or withone arm, so as to facilitate dragging a heavy wearer or a wearer ladenwith heavy gear.

1. In a drag harness comprising two arm loops, each of which is adaptedto receive a separate arm of a wearer, and gripping means joined to thearm loops, whereby a rescuer grasping the gripping means can drag thewearer, via the drag harness, if the wearer is lying in a supineposition, an improvement wherein the arm loops are made from a flexible,tubular, non-abrading material.
 2. The improvement of claim 1, whereinthe non-abrading material of the arm loops is flame-resistant.
 3. Theimprovement of claim 2, wherein the non-abrading material of the armloops is made from polyamide fibers, which are woven into flexibletubes.